Jazz Club of Sarasota Announces Appointment of New Board Chair; Outgoing board president Dave Walrath handed over the gavel to the incoming board chair, Peg McKay Pluto, at a January board meeting

Outgoing board president Dave Walrath handed over the gavel to the incoming board chair, Peg McKay Pluto, at a January board meeting.

(Sarasota, FL) Peg McKay Pluto was named president of the Jazz Club of Sarasota at a recent board of directors meeting. At the same meeting, Gordon Garrett was named vice president.

Originally from the north of Detroit, McKay Pluto calls herself a “true Motown girl.” She moved to Florida in 1984 where she joined the Dixieland Jazz Club of Pinellas County, and moved to Sarasota in 1998. Before her appointment as president, Pluto served as the board’s executive secretary. She is also the editor of the organization’s popular “Jazz Sounds” newsletter.

Well known in the area’s hospitality industry, McKay Pluto is the event coordinator for Tommy Bahama Restaurant & Bar on St. Armand’s Circle, coordinating all of the restaurant’s outreach and charitable involvement programs. She served an integral part in the opening of the Comfort Suites, University Park, Fairfield Inn in Lakewood Ranch, Hampton Inn, Ellenton, Holiday Inn SRQ airport and Bentley’s Boutique Resort in Osprey. McKay Pluto is a member in many regional business and non-profit organizations, including serving on the boards of Weddings of Sarasota and the Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce.

Dave Walrath, the Jazz Club’s outgoing board president, says that McKay Pluto brings a wealth of experience in building vital community partnerships. “We’re privileged to have Peg serve as president at this pivotal moment for the Jazz Club,” he says. “This year marks our 35th anniversary. Peg’s expertise in nurturing community participation, and her progressive outlook and profound commitment to our mission, will provide the level of leadership it takes to guide our organization forward into the next 10 years.”

McKay Pluto says she looks forward to celebrating the Jazz Club of Sarasota’s 35th anniversary in a significant way.

“The Jazz Club represents a vital part of the cultural and social fabric of our area,” she says. “Each year, though dozens of programs, concerts, and initiatives, we showcase a wealth of talented emerging and established musicians–keeping this unique American art form alive and thriving in our region. We’ve got some exciting programs planned for the 2015-2016 season. Stay tuned!”

About the Jazz Club of Sarasota

The Jazz Club of Sarasota’s mission is to promote, preserve, and educate people about jazz, the original American art form. Founded in 1980 by the late Hal Davis, the club presents ongoing concert series, events, lectures and the annual Sarasota Jazz Festival. Visit www.jazzclubsarasota.org.